From the Air Force to present day, director of site operations has contributed significantly to protecting human health and the environment.
October 11, 2023
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As part of LM’s 20-year anniversary celebration, this is one in a series of profiles of current and former LM employees who address various aspects of the LM mission.
Through his military service and his professional life, Office of Legacy Management Director of Site Operations Jay Glascock has had a variety of interesting endeavors, but they all led him back to a common motive.
He always had a desire to protect human health and the environment.
Since 2009, Glascock has played an essential role to the U.S. Department of Energy. After completing his Bachelor of Science in general engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1990, Glascock obtained his Bachelor and Master of Science in civil engineering with an emphasis in construction management at the University of New Mexico. He also earned his project management and cost professional certifications.
Glascock served in the U.S. Air Force for more than 20 years in the civil engineer and RED HORSE heavy-construction squadrons. He had various leadership positions in environmental management, operations management, program and project management, and executing construction programs and projects.
“Serving in the Air Force, I had a lot of involvement in leading public works organizations,” Glascock said. “I maintained a lot of infrastructure at the Air Force bases and communities around the world. The foundation of experience I got in the Air Force really carried over to my work at LM. Protecting human health and the environment was the basis of my job before I got here.”
After retiring from the military, Glascock worked in several offices across the Department, including the Office of Project Management and the Office of Management before moving to the Office of Legacy Management.
“I loved my job in the Air Force, but I wanted a change outside of the military,” Glascock said. “I saw DOE needed people with my background in project management, and so that’s how I got started, then eventually I landed at LM.”
Glascock started at the LM Operations Center in Westminster, Colorado, where he led the Defense-Related Uranium Mines program and the Uranium Leasing Program (ULP). The DRUM program is a partnership among DOE, federal land management agencies, and state and tribal abandoned mine lands programs to evaluate abandoned mine conditions across the United States. ULP administers 31 lease tracts across the Uravan Mineral Belt in southwestern Colorado, securing a domestic supply of uranium vital to U.S. national and energy security.
While serving as office manager and supervisor for these programs, Glascock’s hard work didn’t go unnoticed. In July 2021, LM promoted him to director of site operations.
“Jay Glascock is a great example of exemplary leadership at LM,” said LM Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) and Nevada Offsites (NVOS) Team Lead Paul Kerl. “He’s hardworking, dependable, determined to accomplish the mission, yet cares about everyone as a person. He’s always supportive to his team and to the organization as a whole. He’s one of the best leaders I’ve ever met.”
As part of his responsibilities as director of site operations, Glascock oversees the environmental teams responsible for long-term surveillance and maintenance of LM’s 101 sites in the United States and Puerto Rico. Glascock is a champion for major repair and maintenance projects to ensure environmental remedies put in place during site cleanups continue to remain protective. He also guides transition activities for sites that will eventually transfer to LM for long-term stewardship.
“I really love the work I do here at LM,” Glascock said. “I love learning from and communicating with different communities. Each site has its own personality and culture with different governments, regulators, and stakeholders. Each group has its own way of addressing a situation or problem. It keeps things exciting and interesting and is always evolving.”
Glascock continues to steer the DRUM program to inventory more than 3,000 mines on public, tribal, and private property and administers ULP, facilitating uranium and vanadium ore mining and exploration in Colorado.
“LM started the DRUM program in 2017, focusing on 2,500 mines on public lands,” Glascock said. “Since then, DRUM has completed more than 2,200 mines on public lands as of July 2023, and we are on track to complete more than 2,300 by March 2024. We’ve reached major milestones in the DRUM program since it began, with some even being ahead of schedule.”
Above all, the most important factor that motivates Glascock’s work is his continual commitment to LM’s mission to protect human health and the environment.
“I take special care in managing environmental compliance, safety and health, and quality assurance for each of LM’s missions. I’m proud of the work I’ve done at LM, and I look forward to accomplishing even more during my time here,” Glascock added. “I’m happy to be a part of such an amazing organization, with an incredible leadership team and group of caring people, and to help celebrate its 20th anniversary this year.”